And He Becomes the Hunted
by darksupernatural
Summary: Sam's missing. Again. What's worse? He disappeared after having a vision. Birthday present for Sammygirl1963. Warnings in chapter 1. Now complete.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Things change. I had a plan, really. There's a certain birthday girl who's a sucker for a hurt Sam Wee-chester. I had one. The muse decided to play with my mind. Dreams suck they really do. So sorry it's not a wee-chester, birthday girl, but it IS hurt Sam. Set between season two and three. AU, definitely. **

** So Jean, it's all here for you. ****Psychic Sam, Freaked Dean, Bobby and one of your favorite returning characters... with a flash back to a wee-chester. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY FRIEND.**

**Soncnica, I'm still working on the wee-chester, but to give it the time it deserves, it's going slow. don't give up on me girl. You'll love the hurt Sam here better anyway! you and I are too much alike.**

**Oh, I don't own them, I just scar them. That's a disclaimer. And a warning: Violence, drugs and if you don't know much about animal trapping you'll learn just how bad I hate it and you'll hate it too. It sucks to catch a tire in a trap when you're riding 4-wheeler, imagine a body part while you're enjoying a walk. Rant over, Enjoy the story. Don't forget to review! PLEASE(gives Sam's puppy dog eyes)**

**And He Becomes the Hunted**

**Chapter 1**

"Don't give me that crap! I was the one with him. I went out, came back, fell asleep and when I woke up he was gone! I…"

"_Shut your freakin' mouth boy! This was no more your fault than it was mine. We'll find him. If you go workin' yourself into a tizzy you'll do him more harm than good."_

"Sorry Bobby. I'm sorry. I'm just freakin' worried. Last time he disappeared he was possessed."

"_I know Dean."_ Bobby sighed over the line. _"We'll find him okay? He's got the tattoo now. He can't be possessed unless something breaks the skin. Even then that tat went deep so it might not be able to take him over completely. I'm sure he's okay. We'll bring him home. Just stop blamin' yourself for him goin' missin'."_

Dean leaned against the bumper of the Impala, clutching the phone to his ear like a lifeline. He sighed and ran a shaking hand through his hair and down over the back of his neck as he doubled over slightly. He pushed his left hand off his thigh, standing upright again as he turned and went to the driver's side of the car. The door squeaked loudly as he opened it and got inside. "Okay Bobby. I'll meet you in an hour." Dean closed his phone and dropped it on the bench seat. He put his forehead on the steering wheel and closed his eyes. "Sammy." He whispered. "Please, little brother. Let us find you." Dean sat up and fired the car's engine. He pulled out into the hatefully sunny afternoon and made his way across town to meet Bobby.

Sam stirred and snapped awake; sitting up hurriedly. He sagged against the cold wall as dizziness slammed into him. His stomach lurched painfully and the room spun. _Where the hell am I?_ His thoughts were muddled, and he found himself studying his surroundings. His back felt damp and cold where he leant against a cement block wall. It was dark but he could make out some of what was in front of him. Bars. His breath caught in his throat."Dean?" He gasped out. His throat was dry and dust in the air threatened to choke him. He cleared his throat and swallowed, trying to work some moisture back into his mouth. "DEAN?!" He called again.

"Look who's awake." A voice rang out in the darkness. Sam squinted to peer through the inky black but all he could make out was a vaguely human shape standing several inches from the bars.

"Who the hell are you?" Sam tried to sound threatening but his throat was so dry he sounded a bit like a frog even to his own ears.

"Are we thirsty?" Sam refused to answer yet as he heard the sloshing of water into a tin cup coming from the direction of the speaker in the darkness his mouth turned even more into the Sahara and he longed for the water. He watched as the figure stooped and then he saw the cup resting on the cement floor just outside the bars. "Come on, drink up." The voice said again.

"No. You probably did something to it. Drugged… Why are you keeping me here?" Sam wanted to demand answers, to see his jailer, but his eyes kept drifting to the tin cup on the floor.

The shape drifted closer to the bars, holding the thermos the water came out of up to his mouth. "Now, now, would I drink if it was drugged?" He said after Sam heard him swallow.

"Could be a trick. I can't see you well enough to be sure you drank that water."

"Well, you'll just have to take my word… Or, I could just dump it right down the drain…"

"No. No I want the water." Sam scrambled over and reached a hand through the bars. He took the tin cup and squeezed his hand back through, bringing it to his lips. He swallowed the cool water, allowing it to ease the burn in his throat.

"Who are you?" Sam asked again, his quenched thirst allowing his voice to be stronger. "Why…ungh…" He cried out and clutched a hand to his head as his vision swam. A burn started in his stomach and quickly spread like fire through his veins. "What did… you do… You said…not…drugged. You drank…"

"It wasn't. Not for me. It was laced with something that interacts with what's already in your system. Sammy Winchester… the latest in a long line of psychics who have been my guest here in my humble abode." Sam looked up at the shadow of a man through a darkening field of vision. He slumped to the cement floor, holding a hand to his stomach as pain ripped through him again. He felt fatigue swamp him and slid further down, resting on his left side, his legs curled under him. "Enjoy your stay," was the last thing he heard as his vision went black and his head hit the cement with a dull _thunk_.

Dean pulled into the motel where he and Sam had been staying when Sam disappeared. It was where Bobby decided to meet Dean. Dean was a good tracker but Bobby was the best. If anyone could find something to help them get to Sam it would be him. Dean crawled wearily out of the Impala but couldn't force himself to go into the room. He leaned against the hood of the car and stared off into the distance. His thoughts carried him away.

_Sammy. Missing. Is he hurt? God, please don't let him be…No! No, he's okay, he's just venting. We'll find him and he'll just have taken a walk or something and forgot to leave me a note. That's it. A walk, a really, really long walk. I'm gonna kill 'im. No I'm not, I'm gonna give him a hug, a huge, much overdo hug and then, _then_ I'm gonna kill him."_ Dean was startled from his musings by the rattle of Bobby's ancient truck as it pulled into the lot. Dean straightened from the car and walked over.

"Hey Bobby." Dean said as he clapped the older hunter on the shoulder.

"Kid, you look like shit. How you holding up?"

Dean breathed a laugh as his hand went to the back of his neck in a gesture that was a dead giveaway about how stressed he was. "'m okay Bobby."

"Then just why were you waitin' in the parking lot for me," Bobby put his hand to the seam of the hood where it met the nosepiece just above the chrome grill "for probably the last half hour?"

"Uh… Couldn't make myself go in. I swear Bobby, if he's hurt…" The older hunter put a hand to Dean's neck, squeezing gently.

"Hey, we'll find him. Now," Bobby said as he dropped his hand and turned towards the door of the room, "let's go see if there's a trail."

Dean led the way into the room, forcing himself not to hesitate in the doorway. Bobby looked at the back of Dean's head, sensing his fear of finding out that his brother was in trouble. _God, I hope he's not._ Bobby thought as he cast his eyes about the room. He walked carefully to the bed farthest from the door. Sam's bed. The covers were still slightly rumpled, where Dean's were twisted and hanging off the edge in a tangled heap. Bobby lifted the edge, careful not to disturb anything that might be laying in the worn, but, thankfully, clean beige carpet. He leaned down and looked around the edge of the bed. Seeing nothing he was just about to straighten when something caught his attention. It was a smell. He recognized it immediately. "Dean, when you came back to the motel last night…"

"I was drunk." Dean said morosely. "I was stupid and went out and got wasted." Dean said as he slumped down on the edge of his bed and leaned his elbows on his thighs, looking up at Bobby with watery eyes. "It's just… we've been in too close quarters for too long, ya know? Sam was being a pain and I… I just blew him off." Den dropped his gaze before looking back up. His eyes were scared. "I swear, never again. When I get him back I'm never gonna do it again."

Bobby looked at Dean, appraising the young hunter he considered to be like a son. "We'll get him back. I promise ya that Dean." Bobby cast his eyes back to the youngest Winchester's vacant bed and caught sight of something white just under the edge of the bed. Bobby lifted the small hunk of white and held it between his thumb and forefinger.

"What is it Bobby?" Dean asked as he stood and walked over.

"It's a tooth."

"A tooth?"

"Yeah."

"What, like a sharks tooth or something?"

"It's human. Full grown human."

"Sammy?"

"No. It has roots connected to it, but there's no blood. It's bleached white. If it was Sam's it would've been knocked out and would have bled. Even drunk you'd have heard him make noise if someone slugged him to kidnap him. This is something else Dean. They were quiet." The tooth was oddly shaped and suspended from what looked like a piece of bronze wire with a small ring looped into it. It looked like it belonged on a necklace. Bobby stood from his crouch and walked to the table, putting the macabre amulet on the table. "Were you and Sam hunting anything that might have gotten tipped off that you were after it?"

"No Bobby. We were just about to leave town. There's nothing kill-worthy in this ditchwater burg."

"Unn…" Sam coughed and shifted on the floor. Pain speared through his head and his unsettled stomach, causing him to curl in on himself. He wrapped his arms around his abdomen and turned his cheek into the cold cement. The cement bit into his cheek and he barely stifled a moan. Chills covered his frame in goose bumps and he shivered from the cold that had seemed to seep into his bones. Sam unwrapped his arms from his torso and pushed himself upright, stopping when his vision blackened around the edges. He took a steadying breath, forcing the nausea into submission and levered himself more upright to sit on the floor. He looked around and saw he was still in the cage-cell- whatever the hell it was. "Great." He said softly, a groan on his voice. He found that he had been stripped of his flannel shirt while he was unconscious this time. His captor left him in his jeans, shoes and gray tee shirt that he'd been wearing.

"Oh…" Sam moaned as he leaned back against the cold block wall again. His head felt like it was swimming. He ran a cold hand through his hair and settled the digits against his forehead, hoping the chill would ease the pounding of his head. Finally feeling a bit of relief he looked around again and levered himself to his feet. He staggered as if he was drunk and leaned back against the wall until his lurching stomach and spinning world settled again. He pushed away from the wall and went to the bars, clenching both fists around the cold steel and rattling the locked door in its frame. "Damn it!" He said irritably when the door refused to give. He moved to the back wall and leaned against it, allowing his muddled mind to go back over what his captor had said to him just before he passed out.

_Sammy Winchester… the latest in a long line of psychics… been my guest here in my humble abode. Psychics… _"What the hell?"

Sam slid down the cold wall to sit on the cement floor. He pulled his knees to his chest and rested his aching head on them. His eyes slipped closed and he began to doze.

"Who the hell wears a human tooth as a fashion statement?" Dean asked as he glared at the offending object on the table. Bobby had scoured the rest of the room and had come up empty. He now sat at the table also staring at the tooth, worry for Sam darkening his bearded features.

"I wanna check outside, see if there's a trail to follow from here." Bobby glanced up. "Do ya remember anything odd happenin' while you two were in town?"

"We stopped here after gettin' done with the last hunt. Next town was six hours away and it was already a little after five. We checked in and went to grab a bite. Sam was being pissy and I called him on it. We'd been at the diner for just a few minutes when he started rubbin' at his temple. He looked at me. Scared. So I grabbed him and we booked. I barely got him to the car when he went all mind freak on me."

"A vision?"

"Yeah."

"What'd he see?"

"He said there was a guy running through some woods. Scared. Kept glancin' over his shoulder. Sammy said a couple times that there was a shadow, real close to the guy. Anyway he said he saw the guy hit a trip wire and he heard a gun go off. Guy dropped. Sam snapped out of it then."

Bobby turned his attention back to the table and an open newspaper before asking, "Sam tell you what the guy looked like?

"Uh, yeah. Hair about the same as Sam's. Ya know, shaggy. Sandy blonde though. Not as tall, about the same age. Had a tattoo, a nautical star, on his elbow."

"This him?" Bobby said as he turned the open paper to show Dean a picture on the third page.

"Crap."

**So, birthday girl, here's that question: Still want to wait for the rest of this one?**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: The response to this has been awesome. You guys are really great. Enjoy chapter two. Again, Happy Birthday Jean. Hope you have a great evening. **

**Chapter 2**

Sam startled fully awake when he sensed someone watching him from the darkness. He stretched and stood from his crouch at the base of the wall. His back cracked and his neck protested but he quashed the urge to work out the kinks and glared at the hulking shape that waited patiently on the other side of the bars. "Who the hell are you?" Sam asked, enunciating each word carefully.

"Someone with something to look forward to." The shape answered him back. "Would you like some more water?"

"Go to hell." Sam growled.

"Now, now, is that any way to talk to the person who brought you lunch?"

"You think I'm eating or drinking anything else you bring me you're out of your freaking mind."

"Come on, you have to keep your strength up Sammy."

"Don't call me that." The man in the dark snickered at Sam's agitation and stepped a couple paces closer, careful to stay both out of Sam's reach and out of the light.

"I've seen what you can do Sam. I've seen you use the sight. You can tell who I am if you see my face. You've seen what I've done. You told your brother of my adventures. I can't take the chance of you seeing something else. You see, I have too much fun with my little adventures. With my hunts."

"Hunts? What?"

"I'll let you puzzle that one out yourself young Jedi. You'll figure it out soon enough." The shadow man turned and walked off into the darkness. Sam watched as a door opened to allow the man to pass through. Sam couldn't make out any features of the man because the sudden light blinded him but as he saw the man's shadow something clicked in his head. Sam stared hard at the wall where he'd last seen the shadow, before leaning against the wall and wishing he was anywhere else.

"Crap."

Dean and Bobby were outside the motel room. Bobby was alertly looking for traces of what happened to Sam. Bobby shook his head as he reanalyzed everything he saw. "Nothing. There's nothing besides that damn tooth that tells us Sam didn't just take off on his own."

"Damn it! How are we gonna find Sammy?"

"We will Dean." Bobby said as he looked at the exhausted young hunter. "First, you need to rest. Get your wits aboutcha."

"Bobby I can't sleep with him out there somewhere. If he's hurt someplace or he needs my help…"

"The only way you're gonna be able to find him is to keep your head. You go off half cocked and you could miss the one thing that lets ya find the kid. Remember what your daddy taught ya about trackin'?"

"Keep wide open eyes on the trail. It changes faster than you can blink."

"Right Dean."

"Alright. I'll crash for a couple hours. But Bobby, we gotta find him."

Bobby walked up to Dean and clasped a calloused hand to his neck again, squeezing reassuringly. "We will Kiddo. I promise ya we will." He dropped his hand and followed Dean back into the room. Dean lay down on his bed and heaved a weary sigh, his eyes slipping closed not long after his head eased into the pillow.

Sam had slid down the wall to once again sit with his knees against his chest at the base of it. It was turning colder; he felt the chill penetrate deeply into him. Sam alertly scanned every inch of his cell, looking desperately for an escape. Finally something just to the right of the door caught his attention. He stood, still feeling slightly lethargic, and made his way across the small space. He kneeled down and looked more closely at what caught his eye. There it was; a small chink in the block where it looked like something chipped the masonry away. Sam lifted a hand and ran his fingers over the jagged edge. Slipping his pinky finger into the crevice he felt the metal frame of the cell door.

"So, this jerk is keeping psychics prisoner, huh? Well, just maybe I'll give him a run for his money." Sam wiggled his finger and hissed when the cement's jagged edge bit into his flesh. "Ouch… Okay, this sonofabitch is starting to really piss me off. Got to get the hell outta here and find Dean." Sam pulled his finger back and wiped the drop of blood absently on his worn jeans. He stood back from the door and stared hard at it.

Dean slept on as Bobby quietly researched both the missing shaggy haired kid and any other instances of disappearances like Sam's. Something was bothering him about how Sam went missing and who could have taken the six foot four two hundred plus pound young man without so much as a grunt that would have alerted Dean to trouble. Even drunk Dean was far more alert than he let on. Bobby took another look around the motel room and spotted a dark bottle on the floor near the trash can. He picked it up. _Jim Beam_ wafted up to his nose and Bobby took a deeper breath of the liquor. It didn't smell right. Bobby looked inside the bottle and saw a faint trace of a powder film clinging to the sides of the glass. He ran a finger over the lip of the bottle and it came away smudged with the white film. _Drugged, Dean was drugged too. Damnit, what the hell wants these boys now?_

Bobby watched Dean sleep, loath to wake the boy because of the long road ahead in finding the youngest Winchester alive and hopefully well. _Just hang in there Sam._ Bobby went back to his research.

"Damnit!" Sam said as he reached a hand up to rub at his temple. His head was throbbing and still the door remained unmoving. He sat dejectedly on the cold cement floor and lowered his eyes. "I have to get out of here." _Dean, please man. Find me. Please be okay man. I know you're pissed at me and I get it but please Dean, help me._ Sam closed his eyes and thought back to the fight he had with Dean. Their tempers, being too close for too long, had finally gotten the better of them both.

_Dean whirled away from Sam, grabbing up his jacket. He shoved his arms into the worn yet beautiful brown leather and headed for the door of the motel room. "Where are you going Dean?"_

"_OUT. You're being bitchy and I just can't take it."_

"_We need to talk about this Dean."_

"_Not now Sam."_

"_When?"_

"_Never, if I have anything to say about it."_

"_You're being unreasonable."_

"_You need to grow up!" Dean slammed the motel room door behind him, the words stinging like a physical blow. Sam staggered back and stared at the door as he heard the rumble of the Impala's engine fire and then die off as Dean pulled out of the lot. _

"_Dean. I need my brother back. That's all. That's why we need to talk. I just want my brother back." Sam fell onto the edge of his bed and buried his head in his hands._

Sam snapped out of his reverie when he heard the grating sound of metal against masonry. His startled hazel eyes looked up to see the door jamb crumble around the weakened block. The bolt holding the door in place popped loose and the door squeaked open. Sam quickly stood and grabbed the door to keep the noise from becoming noticeable. "Damn. I did it." Sam squeezed by the open door and pushed it shut again, hoping that the noise wasn't loud enough to alert his captor. Sam listened quietly for footsteps or another noise alerting him he wasn't alone. Other than his own breathing he heard nothing. Sam looked quickly around the dark room and found his flannel draped over a chair just past his line of sight from the cell he was in. He quickly snatched it up and made his way to where he remembered the door being. Turning the knob he found it locked. The latch was old fashioned, a flat bolt in the door jamb the only thing holding it in place. Still it held. Sam took a deep breath and turned the knob with all his strength. He felt it give with a loud snap and he held the breath a little longer, listening to see if the noise gave him away. Again hearing nothing he swung the door open and slipped into the dark tunnel of a hall. He saw a shaft of wan lighting seeping through the cracks around an exterior door and made his way to it quietly. Another latch. He snapped it with a grating clang and disappeared into the twilight.

"That's it young Jedi. You're doing exactly what I want you to do. So predictable, yet so much fun. The hunt is on." The man grabbed the high powered rifle that rested in the rack near the door and headed out, following the barely visible trail that told him exactly where his prey was headed.

Sam half ran, half stumbled through the woods, the chill of the evening biting through his flannel and numbing his arms. He had no idea where he was, his head was pounding once again and his need to find his brother, _help me Dean,_ was palpable. Not recognizing any landmarks or hearing anything to help him find a road, Sam set off deeper into the woods. His back between his shoulder blades was beginning to itch. He knew he was being watched, knew he needed to find some place to hole up, someplace defendable. He took off, seeing a ridge of rock looming over the treetops in the distance.

Bobby glanced up as he heard movement coming from the bed. Dean's head turned and eased slightly deeper into the pillow. He sighed and stilled again. Bobby returned to the research, looking into the disappearances in the area, digging deeper, hoping to find a connection to Sam, some similarity in circumstances that would let them find the youngest Winchester. _Hang in there Sam. WE WILL FIND YOU._

Sam walked through the forest, taking care to disguise his tracks. He knew he'd slipped up. In his haste to get away he'd left a trail a blind man could follow. At least by his dad's standards. An average man couldn't have seen the trail if it had been pointed out to him, but he and Dean had been taught by two of the best. As Sam looked over his back trail bits of leaves stirred up and broken twigs stood out like the yellow brick road. He still knew he had a tail but as he turned back he saw nothing, no trace of the shadow man, the man he knew was hunting him as if he were big game. He turned around and began walking again, flinching when a gun shot rang out.

**A/N: I'm thinking another chapter. But not until tomorrow. Let me know what you think so far.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you all for the awesome reviews. I think you'll like this chapter but the warning I posted in chapter 1 applies to this one. Anyway, you'll find out why I said what I said. Enjoy and don't forget to let me know what you think. Oh, and major props to Bobby for actually getting something through Dean's thick skull without cracking it off a wall first!  
**

**Chapter 3**

The shot hit the tree three feet to Sam's right. The crack of the high powered rifle making him jump and start to run. He turned, skidding through leaves and debris, no longer caring about concealing his trail. Another shot rang out, bullet burying itself in the tree directly in front of him. Sam staggered and slid to a stop, turning again, feeling like he was being herded in a specific direction. He hated that thought. Turning again he realized that he couldn't see his captor. Another shot rang out. Sam ducked and rolled when the shot grazed his shoulder painfully, stifling a gasp as he hit the loose leaves. His left arm sprawled out in front of him, aiding him in sliding to a stop against the dry leaves. Pain erupted across his left hand and wrist. His vision went white.

"GGAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhh!"

"SAMMY!" Dean sat upright on the bed, breath coming in ragged pants as sweat poured off his body.

"Dean!" Bobby said as he moved to the edge of the bed and put a comforting hand to the oldest Winchester's heaving chest.

"B-Bobby, I- I saw Sammy. He's…Aw God, he's hurt bad."

"Ya saw him? Like…"

"Yeah, just like Cold Oak."

"Ya know where he is?"

"Damnit, no." Dean cried as he levered himself to his feet and began pacing.

"Dean, calm down. What'd ya see?"

"Sammy, he was in the woods. Running. I heard a gunshot. Saw it graze his shoulder. He rolled, just like I taught him to and then he just…" Dean came back to the bed and fell onto it, running both shaking hands through his hair and down over the back of his neck. "…screamed."

"The woods he was in… Look familiar?"

Dean stilled and thought back before shaking his head. Bobby broke into his thoughts. "Last time Sam showed you somethin'…"

"It wasn't Sam. It was Andy. And at that moment he wasn't in pain. Damn Bobby, I saw a steel bear trap. Sam's hand is in a freakin' bear trap!"

"Guh…" Sam writhed in the leaves, trying desperately to avoid passing out. His vision darkened repeatedly as pain burned through him like acid. He looked at his left hand, the source of his agony, through bleary eyes. Blood spurted from the wound, coating the toothed jaws of a large steel trap. A half moon of torn flesh ringed the metal, splinters of bone showing in the clamped jaws of the trap. A chain went from the now exposed trap to a corkscrew spike buried deep into the ground. "Oh God." Sam breathed. Sam stilled, hearing footsteps behind them, rustling the old leaves that littered the forest floor. He turned frightened eyes on his captor, seeing the man for the first time. Memory sparked through him at seeing the man's face. "No." Sam felt heat flow through him. A blast of energy rocked the clearing, knocking the man off his feet, causing him to grunt and fall still as he was thrown by the force into a tree. Sam heard the metallic _kinggg_ of a snapping chain as the heat ebbed away from him.

"Oh, God." Sam groaned as he held his injured hand, still caught in the now mobile steel trap, to his chest. Blood continued to run freely, Sam now seeing that his Radial artery was nicked if not severed. He forced himself to his feet and lurched through the forest to the ridge of mountain that loomed ahead of him. _Gotta find shelter. Someplace defendable. Dean, I need you bro. Please find me. I think I'm dyin'._ Sam stumbled, going painfully to his knees as the jarring contact forced him to stifle a cry of agony. "Gahhh." Sam moaned and wretched painfully, the force of the heaves echoing through his pain riddled body and leaving him gasping for breath. Once he finally settled he rose to his feet and loped off again.

Dean, did ya recognize anything from the woods?"

"Huh, kind of. The range, mountains, that Sam was moving towards just before the… trap. They looked like somewhere in the Cascades where Dad and I hunted a fire demon. Damn thing was trying to light off Mount St. Helens again."

"That's only an hour from here." Bobby said, his eyes widening.

"Let's go! Sammy needs us. Bobby, I think he's dyin. We have to get to him."

Sam leaned against the sheer face of the rock, too weary it seemed to move. His entire body was thrumming, a tightly wound coil of pain. Blood caked the front of his shirt, dripping sluggishly onto his jeans, his shoes, the ground. The world spun around him as black spots danced for him. He swallowed hard, his throat like sandpaper. Sam pushed off the rock face, his good hand clutching his useless, bloody forearm. He felt the bullet graze in his shoulder burn as it scraped the rock face for all of a second, then he was overwhelmed with the feeling of his mangled hand once again. Trudging wearily through the fallen leaves and other debris that the winter winds had placed at the side of the sheer rock, Sam moved on until finally spotting a defendable shelter. A small cave in the bluish looking rock. He ducked inside, finding another lucky spot, an almost invisible niche that disappeared behind a curve of rock. Walking as deep as he could into the small crevice Sam allowed himself to shut down.

"Dean." The metal trap clanged off the stone floor as Sam's weak and weary body sagged to the hard floor. Blood began to pool around Sam's wrist, the impact he didn't feel shifting the teeth of the trap to bite that much deeper.

Dean was behind the wheel of the Impala, roaring towards the range of rock that Sam had shown him. Speed laws did not apply to Dean Winchester when Sam was hurt. Nothing controlled Dean when Sam was at risk. _Hang in there baby brother. I'm going to find you. I swear._ Dean swallowed as an ache began just behind his eyes. Bobby glanced his way when he saw the shake of the younger man's head.

"Dean?"

"I'm okay." The pain blossomed again before Dean had the words out. He groaned, hitting the brakes on the car harder than intended. The tires squealed a protest as both hands shot to his head. Bobby grabbed the wheel and steered the shuddering car to the abandoned shoulder of the road where it sat haphazardly, the engine dying to a soft purr. Dean found himself somewhere else.

_He was standing at the site of Sam's run in with the bear trap. His heart was in his throat as he saw the slowly drying blood coating the disturbed leaves that littered the forest floor. A piece of broken chain peaked out of its concealment._

"_SAMMY!" Dean called as he spun a tight circle where he stood. His eyes lit on a figure at the base of a nearby tree. "Sonofabitch!" Dean growled as he stalked to the tree and saw a Barrett .50 caliber rifle lying just out of reach of the prone body. "You bastard! You were at that diner. You're the one who took Sammy?!" Dean gripped the unconscious man's lapels and jerked him upright. The man's head lolled on his shoulders and he groaned just before Dean slammed him into the tree he rested against. "What. The hell. Did you. Do to Sam?" Dean asked. "Where is he?"_

"_He's become my most challenging hunt. When I saw him have the sight, right there with you next to him, I knew… I knew he'd be a worthwhile target. I knew he'd be a challenge. And, Oh, what a stunning trophy he'll make. Just like the others."_

"_You're hunting MY BROTHER?! I'll kill you!" Dean tightened his fists in the man's hunting vest, feeling the air grow colder around him. Dean's shoulders stiffened. The man grinned at him and disappeared out of his hands, into thin air. Dean jumped as a voice came to his ears._

"_Dean…"_

"_Sammy?" Dean stood and turned in the direction of the voice._

"_Dean…"_

"_Aw god, Sammy!" Dean's green eyes turned moist at the sight of his brother. He was too pale, blood covering his left arm, his chest. It stained his jeans and shoes in splotches. Sam's left hand was a mangled mess, bone protruding from the flesh that vaguely resembled a raw steak that had been thrown to a Doberman. _

"_Dean…"_

_Dean walked to Sam and tried to grab his brother into a hug. Dean's arms passed through his little brother's form. "Oh God." Dean barely stifled the sob that wanted to rip from him. "How can I help you Sammy? Tell me how I can save you!"_

"_Dean… follow." Sam turned and Dean stepped after him. He stopped suddenly when a sheer face of bluish rock appeared right in front of his face. Sam was several yards down the side of the rock. He turned and disappeared. _

"_SAMMY!" Dean stumbled after him and came upon the mouth of a small cave. He went inside to find Sam standing at another hole in the wall, one that this time went around a sharp curve. Sam disappeared again and Dean again followed without hesitation. He saw his brother, kneeled on the floor beside his own body. Blood pooled and steel glinted. Sam glanced down at his own body, a tear sliding down his cheek. Then he looked up at his big brother._

"_Don't… let me die. Dean… help me."_

Dean sat up straighter, his head pounding and his eyes clearing. Tears streaked his cheeks and his shoulders shook with barely restrained sobs. Bobby held a hand to Dean's chest and looked at the oldest Winchester worriedly. "Dean?"

"I know where he is. He's bleeding out." Dean said gruffly, slamming the gas pedal to the floor.

Sam stirred on the cold stone floor, his body too lethargic to move more than allowing his head to shift to the side to face the mouth of the cave he'd walked into. He drew a ragged breath and stilled once again.

Dean swung the Impala off the pavement and onto a clearing that bordered an expanse of woods. He threw the car into park and shut off the engine. Bolting from the seat, he was digging through the trunk, coming up with his own high powered rifle as well as a portable medical kit. It was smaller than the one that he normally would have used but he needed to get to his brother as fast as possible with as little extra weight. Sam was being hunted for sport. Dean was going to see to it that the hunter never had a chance to fire the gun again.

"Dean, would you talk to me?! What the hell did you see back there?" Bobby asked as he threw himself out of the car and moved towards the trunk where Dean was rifling through the contents.

"Bobby, Sammy's being hunted. That vision I told you he had. There was a man in the lot at the diner. The sonofabitch saw him have the vision. He asked me if Sam was okay. Made a big deal out of making sure Sam was okay. Thought he was harmless. What Sammy showed me was that bastard, and where Sam's hiding."

"You know where Sam is?"

"Yeah. That bastard wants Sammy for a trophy. Not. Gonna. Happen."

Bobby reached into the still open trunk and grabbed the larger medical kit, taking the small one out of Dean's hands and dropping it back into its spot in the arsenal. "Ya said his hand was caught in a steel trap. He's gonna need a helluva lot more than a few band aids to get him outta that cave alive. This is a two man job Dean. Savin' Sammy isn't somethin' you have to do alone all the time. Ya know that, right?"

"Thanks Bobby." The older hunter gave Dean a look that said even though he was carrying the bulky kit, he wasn't going to sit on the sidelines. Bobby grabbed a pump action rifle and cocked it one handed, allowing his hand to slide back the stock of the gun and rest easily on the trigger guard. Dean stared at him for a bit and Bobby cracked a small grin under his beard, his eyes lighting up just slightly.

"Try huntin' solo with a broken wrist sometime. Ya learn a few tricks." Bobby allowed Dean to take point as they entered the darkening woods. Dean unerringly found the site where Sam had gotten caught in the trap. The smell of blood, steel and gunpowder was nearly overwhelming as the vision Sam had given him clashed with the real thing absorbed through green eyes brimming with tears. Dean steeled himself, his game face slipping firmly over his features. Dean turned to where the vision had showed him Sam's quarry. The leaves at the base of the tree were disturbed and a smear of red decorated the rough bark about three feet high. Just about the level where Dean remembered seeing the man's head resting awkwardly against the bark.

"He's on the move. Goin' after Sam. C'mon. We have to find my brother first." Dean again took off, moving stealthily towards the ridge of the bluish mountains in the distance. He followed Sam's trail, barely there but still visible and changed slightly by Sam's pursuer, who followed unerringly. "Damnit, he's tailin' Sam."

"Dean." Bobby said as he stepped up to a tree that had been nearly blown apart by the bullet that had slammed into it. Sap still leaked from the torn hole and Dean shuddered to think that that could have been his baby brother.

"We've got to find Sammy." They continued trailing the man who hunted Sam, soon finding themselves at the rock face that Dean had seen Sam disappear into. They saw his tracks, his trail more haphazard and way too easy to follow. Dean found smears of blood against the rock. _Sammy._ Dean followed his brother's presence along the wall and found the mouth of the cave. He pulled his Colt pistol from his waistband and went inside. Bobby stayed outside noticing the hunter's trail veered away from Sam's obvious path. Bobby followed the hunter.

Dean walked silently into the cave, seeing the smaller shelter within, just where Sam had shown him. He heard nothing but oppressive silence. Dean rounded the corner and held his gun at the ready. Seeing no trace of the hunter, Dean lowered his gaze to the heap on the stone floor.

"S-Sammy." Dean whispered brokenly, falling to his brother's side. He reached out a hand, his vision of his arms passing through his little brother's body colliding with reality as his fingers touched the clammy skin of his brother's angular jaw. Dean didn't bother concealing the strangled gasp that escaped him. His fingers slid down Sam's neck to find his pulse barely there. "It's okay Sammy. I'm here now." Dean unfastened his belt and ripped it free of the loops at his waist and he draped it around Sam's forearm just below his elbow, careful of the damage._ Oh god, the trap. His hand. Oh Sammy, your hand._ Dean pulled the tourniquet tight as he blinked furiously to clear his vision. Sam moaned.

"Sammy?" Dean questioned, a blood smeared hand going again to his cheek. "Sammy?" Hazel eyes opened to slits and Sam took a ragged breath that was expelled on a sigh.

"Dean."

"Shh, shh. I'm here Sammy."

"Knew… you'd come."

"Hey, nothin' can keep me away from you."

Sam gave a little smile and his eyes slipped closed again. Dean reached for Sam and rubbed a thumb briskly over his thready pulse. "Hey! Hey Sammy, ya gotta stay awake for me okay? Huh, Sammy?"

Sam's lids eased open again. "'k, De."

"Hey, Bobby's just outside okay. We're gonna fix you up and get outta here."

"You're not taking my trophy anywhere." Dean turned, lifting the pistol that was never far from his fingertips. The Barrett was leveled on his chest before Dean had the colt leveled. "Don't even think about it." The hunter drawled. He motioned with the Barrett. "Up against the wall."

"Let's talk about this." Dean said slowly, putting the gun on the floor of the cavern. "He needs help."

"I'll treat him right when I take him. It will be a far more humane kill than languishing in a trap." Dean growled low in his throat.

"You sonofabitch."

"Ah, ah, ah. This rifle at this close range would be quite messy. Wouldn't want little brother to see that would you?" The man said as he glanced from Dean to Sam's open eyes on the floor of the cavern.

"I'll kill you. So help me…" Dean said, but made no move to break contact with the wall.

"You are small game. He is my prize kill. I'm through wasting time on target practice." The hunter pulled the trigger.

**A/N: Are cliffies just as bad with a long chapter as they are with a short one? I'll post the rest of this story after work tonight. ST, hope the TK worked for you? Somehow I like the thought of Sam snapping chains. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Okay, I've heard I'm evil. So I'm giving you all the rest of the fic tonight. Yeah, Poor Sam. Well it gets slightly worse before it gets better for him. Promise though it does get better.**

**And Jean, Here's the real birthday surprise. you knew about the story. You didn't know I've brought back one of your favorite OCs of mine. You'll see who she is in this chapter. Literally a life saver. **

**To everyone else whose reviewed for me, thanks so much. I'm really glad you're enjoying this.**

**Chapter 4**

"NOOOO!" The scream was ripped from Sam's throat, guttural sounding and pained. A wave of heat blasted through the cavern, ruffling hair and clothes, stinging eyes. The slug stopped three inches from Dean's chest. It hung in the oppressive air, glowing red hot from being fired. The slug slowly spun as it seemed stuck right in front of Dean. Sam had pushed himself up on one elbow and had his eyes locked on the bullet as it hovered. "No." Sam whispered as the bullet dropped from the air to land harmlessly on the stone floor with a metallic _ping._ Another shot boomed in the confines of the cave and the hunter staggered before falling silently to the stone floor. Sam's eyes closed and his head fell back to the floor with a thud. Bobby stood behind the hunter, pump action rifle still smoking. Dean pushed off the wall and moved back to Sam's side.

"SAM!" Dean called out, reaching a hand out to Sam. Red spots lingered on Sam's high cheekbones, the only color in his too pale face. Dean lifted his brother's head and shoulders, not caring that he was getting covered in blood, Sam's blood. Dean put a shaking hand to Sam's pulse, feeling the stutter of his heart. _Beat-beat…_

_beat…………beat-beat……………beat._ "Sammy, hey. Come on kiddo, don't do this. Stay with me, just…" Dean smoothed Sam's bloody, greasy hair out of his closed eyes, his hand lingering on Sam's face. "God, Bobby he's not breathing!" Bobby had knelt beside Dean sometime and the medical kit was open by his knee.

"Lay him down Dean." Dean did as asked and Bobby took control from the oldest, slightly shell-shocked, Winchester. He tipped Sam's head back and opened his mouth just slightly. Sam drew a ragged, shallow gasp.

"Dean listen to me. Go outside and find a place your cell gets reception. This is worse than I can patch up. Tell them I'll get him ready for transport, but I can't control the bleeding." Dean rubbed a thumb over Sam's cheek and ran for the mouth of the cave.

"Oh, kid. How the hell did you last this long?" Bobby reached into the med kit and retrieved every piece of gauze and bandage he had. He gingerly packed the rolled cotton between the teeth of the trap and Sam's abused flesh. The pristine, sterile white soon turned crimson. Bobby lifted Sam's arm, noticing the belt tourniquet. He checked it and tightened it slightly. The blood flow slowed a small amount. Bobby wrapped two ACE bandages loosely around Sam's wrist, immobilizing the trap in place. He then lifted Sam's arm and laid it across his chest, above his heart.

"I got through to them, gave them our coordinates. They said there's a clearing just a little less than a quarter mile from here where they'll land a chopper."

"Help me with him then if we gotta move 'im. That damn trap shifted sometime and did more damage than he started out with. I wanna make sure it doesn't do it again."

Dean lifted Sam's torso while Bobby took another, wider stretch bandage and wrapped it over Sam's left arm and around his rib cage, holding his arm in place. Sam's head lolled against Dean's chest as Bobby worked and Dean talked to Sam. Meaningless words to anyone else but the brothers as Bobby watched Dean dip his head to Sam's ear and speak. Sam drew a stronger breath and Dean touched his cheek silently to his brother's.

"Dean, we need to move 'im. The closer he is to the chopper the quicker they can get 'im to a hospital.

"I know." Dean said, already shifting Sam to rest against his chest, cradled in his arms like the infant he remembered from so many years ago. Dean grunted as he bunched his thigh muscles and pushed himself upright under Sam's weight.

"Dean, the cops are gonna get involved. I can't leave that bastard here for them to find."

"Just don't use the good salt." Dean said as he walked out of the mouth of the cave to get his brother to help.

Dean carried his brother through the woods, carefully picking his steps to minimize jarring Sam's injuries. Overhead he heard the _whump-whump _of the helicopter rotors as it flew over and landed. Voices carried to his ears and he felt himself breathe a little easier knowing help was here for his baby brother. Red suited paramedics pushed an all terrain gurney to him and helped to ease Sam onto it. Dean leaned over, hands on his knees to catch his breath before straightening. Two of the paramedics were strapping Sam in while another took his vitals. Dean moved in to speak to the one looking Sam over, raising his voice to be heard over the din.

"We field dressed his hand. Freakin…" Dean swallowed, trying to catch his breath, "bear trap. It's still latched on. Think it at least nicked the artery in his wrist. He needs blood."

The male paramedic looked up at Dean, concern in his brown eyes even under his flight helmet. "We'll take care of him. What's his name?"

"Sam. Sammy. He's my baby brother."

"You goin' with?"

Dean looked at the helicopter, swallowing hard. Then he looked at Sam "Yeah. I'm goin."

The paramedics strapped Sam's gurney into the helicopter securely. One of them helped Dean fasten himself into a seat near Sam's side and gave him a flight helmet, while another started Sam on an IV of fluids. They took Sam's vitals again and seeing him weak but stable one man spoke to the pilot through a microphone built into the flight helmet. The helicopter took off on the way to the hospital.

Twenty minutes later the helicopter set down on a pad near the hospital. A team of doctors and nurses were waiting in the shelter of the building for the engine to stop on the chopper. The paramedics pulled Sam from the machine and the doctors swarmed around him, whisking them away after getting some information from the men who treated him both in the woods and in the air. Dean followed to be stopped at another set of ER doors, by another nameless nurse.

"You can't go in there. He's being taken into emergency surgery. Someone will let you know what's going on as soon as they can. We're taking good care of your friend."

"He's my brother." Dean said, sinking into another hard plastic chair. He ran his shaking hands over his hair and rested his elbows on his thighs as he stared at the tile floor.

Dean felt a hand on his shoulder, startling him out of his thoughts. "How's he doin', Dean?" Bobby.

"Still in surgery."

"I didn't use the good salt." Bobby said as he sat down beside the man he considered a son.

"Good." Dean said, returning his eyes to the tile floor.

Soft green eyes watched the young man fighting for his life. Her dream last month was coming true. The woman who shared her smile told her she would be needed again and she knew now was the time. Doctors talked as she watched on, handing instruments without a word. Words like _amputation_ and _arterial grafts_ and _nerve damage_ weighed on her mind. She jumped slightly as she heard the metal to metal clang of the trap being removed and being placed on a tray. Doctor's voices raised in concern as blood spurted from Sam's wrist. She reached out and squeezed his uninjured hand, talking to him in her mind, in his mind. Voices faded into the background, now just a meaningless drone as she focused on her charge.

"_Sam, it's Grace. I know you remember me. I'm here to help. Mary asked me to help you." _

"_Grace?" _ She found herself facing the young man that she hadn't seen in more than nine years. He stood in the forest, straight and tall. Grace faced him with her green eyes and soft southern accent. She smiled.

"_Grace. Mom's smile. Dean was right all those years ago."_

"_Hello Sam."_

"_Am I dead?"_

"_No. You're mother wants you to know she loves you and she wants me to help you. May I help you?"_

"_Will you make the pain stop? Will you let me see Dean again?"_

"_I want to if I can." _ Grace held out her hand and Sam lifted his left one. Blood ran from his wrist and hand where a jagged ring of wounds marred his flesh. She took his hand in hers and warmth flooded him. The wounds healed and the hand regained it's normal shape._ "It's time to fight Sam. You have a long road ahead of you but I know, like your mother knows, that if anyone can go down that road it's you. I can help you for now but the fight is yours, to get back to the way you need to be. You know Dean is here for you. Just like he was in Louisiana. Every step of the way, your brother is by your side. Don't be afraid to lean on him just a bit."_

"_Thanks Grace."_

"_It's time to fight Sam." She smiled again and disappeared as a warm breeze ruffled her gray streaked dark hair._ Grace snapped back into herself as the doctor put down his instruments and spoke.

"The arterial graft is in place. We've saved his hand."

"Family of Sam Landman?"

Bobby and Dean both jumped to attention. "I'm his brother. This is our uncle. How's Sammy?" Dean asked, swallowing hard.

"He's stable. As you know the steel animal trap broke several bones in Sam's hand and cut his Radial Artery, resulting in severe blood loss. We did an arterial graft to stop the bleeding, removed several bone slivers, fragments of shattered bone that had embedded themselves in the surrounding tissues and placed two small formed plates and three pins as well as several screws in Sam's hand. Those will be permanent fixtures I'm afraid."

"You saved his hand though? I mean, he'll be able to use it?" Bobby asked cautiously.

"He should, with time to heal and extensive Physical Therapy, be able to regain about forty percent of his mobility. Once we removed the trap and cleared the damage, the repairs went surprisingly well. It's pretty obvious that Sam has someone watching out for him. We were certain we'd have to amputate when he first arrived. Barring complications, we've done skin grafts that will minimize scarring. We have his hand and arm in a special splint to allow the bones and tissues to heal into a normal shape. His hand, although it won't be a hundred percent, will appear functional for all intents and purposes. The areas on his chest where we got the skin grafts won't scar either."

"Can we see him?"

"We're finishing up a transfusion in recovery. Then we're going to move him to a room. I'll send a nurse to get you when he's settled."

Dean sagged back into the hard chair, breathing a sigh of relief. "Thanks Doc." The man nodded and walked away.

"Dean, I'm gonna go get some coffee. Ya want anythin'?"

"No thanks Bobby."

"Alright son. I'll be right back." Bobby left for the cafeteria. Dean looked around, refusing to return his gaze to the floor tile that had been making him a little crazy with the red specks in it that reminded him of the blood splatters he'd followed through the forest as he tried desperately to find his little brother. He saw a nurse standing just slightly down the hall that triggered something in his memory. A familiar smile.

"No way. No. Freakin'. Way." Dean stood and loped down the hall, catching her by the elbow. She spun calmly and smiled. That smile.

"Hello Dean."

"Grace." Dean pulled the older woman into an embrace. "You were there. You helped Sammy didn't you?" He said for her ears alone as he released her from his arms.

"Come with me Dean." She said as she went down the hall and through a door into a comfortable looking lounge. She sat on a small couch and motioned him to sit beside her. "They wanted to take his hand. I couldn't allow it to happen."

Dean swallowed hard. "Thanks for that." He reached up and touched a lock of gray hair that had escaped her bun. "I know it takes a lot out of you."

"I'm fine. Abilities are like anything living. They grow over time. But you know that, don't you?"

"Ya mean Sammy? Yeah."

"I'm glad. He needs you now more than ever."

"The doc thinks he won't regain full use of his hand. Is that true?"

"Nothing can stop Sam but himself. If you're there for him, he'll get better."

Dean glanced down at the carpet before shifting slightly to look at Grace again. "Grace, the last time we saw you, you were in Louisiana. Years ago. What made you come here?"

"I had a dream about a month ago."

"Mom." Dean said.

"Yes. Mary has come to me twice since I met you and Sam. Once to thank me for saving him and now to ask me to help him save himself. He'll do the healing he needs to do. Just be there for him Dean. That's what your mother wants. That's all Sam wants."

"'s what I want too."

"Good." She clasped a small hand to his shoulder. "They've put him in his room. Do you want to see him?"

"You know I do." Grace stood and led the way to a small room. Sam lay on the bed silently. A steady beeping was the only noise in the dim room when Dean went in. He stepped up to the bed to see his brother. Sam's arm from elbow to fingertips was resting elevated on a wedge shaped cushion and swathed in gauze, looking vaguely like he would have put his fist through a white beehive. Sam had a nasal cannula delivering oxygen to him. Dean reached out and smoothed back his hair, sitting in the chair Grace pulled closer to the bed. "Hey kiddo. I'm here now Sammy." Grace squeezed his shoulder from behind and left the room.

Bobby returned with coffee, having been shown to the room by another nurse when he didn't find Dean in the waiting room. He watched silently from the doorway for a moment before entering. "How's he doin?"

"Resting." Dean ran his hand absently through Sam's hair. Dean felt Sam's head shift just a bit and sat up straighter in the upholstered chair Grace had put near the bed for him. "Sammy?"

"Hey, Dean." Sam whispered as his eyes opened.

"Hey, bro. I'm here."

"I know." Sam whispered again as his eyes closed. He smiled a small, wan smile and sleep took him.

**A/N: Next chapter coming in just a few minutes. It's just the epilogue and promised happy ending.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Epilogue**

Sam was released from the hospital two weeks later. After three months, the doctors were amazed at how well he was healing. The skin grafts made the scarring almost invisible, the worst of it being between Sam's knuckles of his ring and little fingers and on his wrist where the fully functioning arterial graft was located.

Dean had looked for Grace repeatedly during his first few days with Sam at the hospital and was finally told that she transferred again after another hospital requested her nursing experience. Bobby had lifted the hunter's wallet before salting and burning the man's body. Dean and he went to the man's house and cleared it out, finding evidence that the hunter had tortured and killed several other people that he'd found to be psychics. Among the grotesque memorabilia was a necklace. One ornament was missing, one tooth broken away from the other twenty on the ugly charm. Dean threw the macabre memento into the fire with the rest of what he planned to get rid of. Research littered the psycho's house, Dean finding several pages on Sam that he burned after reading, along with several others, one being the baby he and Sam had saved a little over a year and a half ago. Rosie. Dean had made a phone call and found out the preschooler was doing well, living the life she should with play dates and doll houses.

Sam had his last check up and was given the all clear to work on therapy at his own pace after regaining all but the finest motor skills. They were leaving town to spend some time at Bobby's until Sam felt he could return to light duty hunting. They were both looking forward to some down time and Sam wanted to hit the road.

Dean returned from putting the bags in the car. He leaned in the doorway and looked at Sam as he struggled just a bit to get his lap top into its bag. Sam finally slid the computer inside and snapped the flap on the canvas. "You get your list of PT exercises?"

"Yeah, Doc said they should help me get full range of motion back. Stupid stuff though."

"Don't matter. You do those exercises and…" Dean held up a loose fist with his knuckles facing Sam and rocked it back and forth, bending at the wrist in a side to side motion. "…you'll get full range of motion back in no time." Dean grinned. "What's on the list anyway?"

Sam held up his only slightly scarred left hand and made a fist, his knuckles facing Dean. He lifted a finger as he too grinned. "Repetitive finger extensions." Dean laughed as Sam walked past him and out the door. Dean threw a careless arm around Sam's shoulders until they parted ways to get in the car. The engine rumbled to life and tires squealed as the brothers hit the road once again.

**A/N: Physical therapy is hard work and takes a lot of determination to be successful. I couldn't resist the awesome brother moment though. Hope you guys will all let me know what you thought of this story. Love ya all!**


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